WHALE PREPPED TO LEAVE; SEA WORLD TO FREE J.J. ON TUESDAY.Byline: Brooke Olson Daily News Staff Writer The way animal care experts tell it, J.J. was one of the lucky ones. The 16-month old gray whale was nursed back to health by Sea World in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. after she became stranded on Venice Beach. On Tuesday, weather permitting, Sea World officials hope to return her to the wild, marking the first time a baby whale has been rescued, rehabilitated and released. But animal care experts are cautious about her chances of survival. ``This is a totally new and unique experience for her,'' said Jim Antrium, Sea World's general curator. J.J. has exhibited typical whale characteristics, such as attempting to forage forage Vegetable food, including corn and hay, of wild or domestic animals. Harvested, processed, and stored forage is called silage. Forage should be harvested in early maturity to avoid a decrease in protein and fibre content as crops mature. for food along her aquarium floor, but that does not ensure her survival. ``She's going to have to learn a lot of things - and we hope she can do it,'' said Joe Cordaro, National Marine Fisheries fisheries. From earliest times and in practically all countries, fisheries have been of industrial and commercial importance. In the large N Atlantic fishing grounds off Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, European and North American fishing fleets have long Southwest Region Coordinator. Sea World plans to transport the whale from the aquarium to a Coast Guard vessel via a 40-foot foam-padded trailer. The Coast Guard Conifer conifer (kŏn`ĭfûr) [Lat.,=cone-bearing], tree or shrub of the order Coniferales, e.g., the pine, monkey-puzzle tree, cypress, and sequoia. Most conifers bear cones and most are evergreens, though a few, such as the larch, are deciduous. will then transport J.J. out to a group of migrating whale pods and release her into the ocean. Although this is the first time a whale has been rescued, this will be Sea World's second opportunity to return a whale to the wild. In 1971, Gigi, another baby gray whale, was captured for research purposes and successfully released after a year. Animal experts hope J.J. will help fill in the gaps in gray whale knowledge. J.J.'s experiences in the wild - which will be closely monitored by marine scientists - may offer clues to gray whale behavior. Marine biologists marine biologist specialist in the biology of marine life. from Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute will attach satellite tracking devices to J.J's dorsal dorsal /dor·sal/ (dor´s'l) 1. pertaining to the back or to any dorsum. 2. denoting a position more toward the back surface than some other object of reference; a synonym of posterior ridge. The compact equipment, which is 10 inches long and weighs about three pounds, is designed to track her movements for up to 18 months. ``We've already learned so much from J.J. - we've watched her grow from an infant to a toddler,'' said Kevin Robinson, a Sea World animal care specialist. ``Now maybe we'll track her life into adulthood.'' For the last week, J.J. has been in a behind-the-scenes holding pool undergoing physical examination, laboratory testing and final measurements. ``The release of J.J. is truly a monumental task,'' Antrium said. ``We will use these final days to ensure that J.J.'s transition to the sea is as smooth as possible.'' Beating the odds Although 16-month-old J.J. will now face her greatest challenge - surviving in the wild - she has already beaten innumerable odds. She was the only one of six stranded calves calves 1 n. Plural of calf1. calves Noun the plural of calf that was rescued last year, Cordaro said. ``She was one of the first ones to come in,'' he said. ``We couldn't save the others.'' And the others have been coming into shore in droves. Prior to 1997, only one to two calves washed ashore each year. But last year, six calves were stranded on the shores of California. This year alone, officials have found 13 calves, an increase of over 50 percent. Animal experts speculate that the increase is due to the surge in births along California shores. Gray whales generally give birth down in the warm, shallow lagoons of Baja during the first few months of the year, but an increasing number of whales are now giving birth farther north. Last year, the National Marine Fisheries estimated that 40 calves were born in California waters. This year, over 106 whales gave birth north of Baja. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. why so many whales are giving birth in California instead of waiting to get down to Baja,'' Cordaro said. Migratory migratory /mi·gra·to·ry/ (mi´grah-tor?e) 1. roving or wandering. 2. of, pertaining to, or characterized by migration; undergoing periodic migration. migratory emanating from or pertaining to migration. pattern ``The whales aren't giving birth early - they're simply not going all the way down to Mexico,'' Cordaro said, adding that there was no explanation for the change in migratory patterns. But much of the whales' behavior remains the same. Female whales sometimes abandon or become separated from their young. Animal experts attribute this behavior to population control and nature's adage, survival of the fittest. Calves who become separated in the first eight months, prior to weaning weaning, n the period of transition from breast feeding to eating solid foods. weaning the act of separating the young from the dam that it has been sucking, or receiving a milk diet provided by the dam or from artificial sources. , often starve starve v. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. To deprive of food so as to cause suffering or death. to death. ``Normally, in the wild, the moms take care of the whales for anywhere from seven to 11 months,'' Robinson said. ``After that they're on their own - but those first few months are critical.'' Calf abandonment may be a self-regulating mechanism, animal experts said. Off the list In 1994, the gray whale was removed from the Endangered Species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. List. Since then, its population has flourished, increasing 4 percent in the last year to bring the total number of whales to around 23,000 worldwide. ``When any animal population exceeds its carrying capacity carrying capacity the number of animal units that a farm or area will carry on a year round basis, including that needed for conservation of winter feed. Usually stated as dry cows or dry sheep equivalents per hectare. , there's always going to be some animals that die off,'' Cordaro said. But experts also attribute the separation to human intervention. Boats and their propellers can injure To interfere with the legally protected interest of another or to inflict harm on someone, for which an action may be brought. To damage or impair. The term injure is comprehensive and can apply to an injury to a person or property. Cross-references Tort Law. calves. ``We found an abandoned baby whale up north that had a severe cut across its tail and we believe that a boat hit the whale,'' Cordaro said. ``We're not sure if the mother abandoned the whale before or after the accident, but certainly the boat didn't help anything. ``Every day is a life and death cycle out there for the animals.'' CAPTION(S): 4 boxes BOX: (1 -- 4) A WHALE OF AN EFFORT J.J. is an orphaned California gray whale who beached herself last year in Marina del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
Dionisio Munoz/Daily News |
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